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Gold’s price has maintained a slow increase today as the main focus continues to be how the Federal Reserve plans to rebuild the U.S.A. financial system. Matt Zeman at Kingsview Financial said, “It is all going to ride on central-bank action this week. Markets were quiet as traders were waiting to see whether the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank will announce any measures when they meet this week. This is a market that seems to want to go higher,” Zeman said of gold. “The Fed and the ECB could throw some wild cards in there but it looks like it will go higher” in the following days, he added.

Investors are presuming the European Central Bank (ECB) may reveal more clues Thursday (as it announces its most recent interest rates) about potentially restarting its notorious bond-buying program, or they may follow America’s famous stimulus choice: quantitative easing. ECB President Mario Draghi said, “Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough.”

There is growing concern for what the future holds in the eurozone regarding its 2 ½ year debt crisis. Unfortunately the answers are hard to find with politicians working around the clock to compile a successful plan. Peter Vanden Houte, an economist at ING, seems to have little confidence in Europe as he said, “As long as consumer and businesses continue to question the solidity of the monetary union, there’s little hope to see an upturn before long. Today’s dismal figures only increase the pressure on European policy makers to act decisively to stop the rot in the euro zone.”

APMEX’s Account Managers now have extended hours Mondays through Thursdays and are here to serve you until 7 p.m. (CDT)! Or call us Fridays until 5 p.m. (CDT)! If you have any questions about investing in precious metals or simply would prefer to place your order by telephone, we are here to help.

The Gold price has started the week in a holding pattern. After last week’s significant climb of more than 2 percent, the yellow metal is waiting for a signal from the central banks in Europe and the United States this week to determine a course of action. Most expect European Central Bank President Mario Draghi to deliver on a promise he made last week of doing “whatever it takes” to save the euro. If he doesn’t, some believe it could have serious repercussions. “The market will be very disappointed if Draghi doesn’t deliver,” Commerzbank analyst Daniel Briesemann said. “The expectations for the upcoming ECB meeting are very high, and he must say something really significant. If he fails to do so, we will probably see lower commodity prices across the board, due to a stronger U.S. dollar.”

In the United States, the theme of the Federal Reserve discussions continues to be a third round of quantitative easing to help further stimulate the economy. In Europe, there is now talk of a round of easing for that region. The European Central Bank is to announce a decision Thursday regarding its future plan of action. While it is not believed there will be any drastic measures such as monetary easing happening this week, it is expected some action will be taken. That may come in the form of restarting the controversial bond purchasing program or more action on interest rates. Not all members of the European Union agree with such measures. The president of one of Germany’s largest banks is one of them. “The mechanism of bond purchases is problematic because it sets the wrong incentives,” a spokesman for Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann told Reuters.

Gold is holding on to morning gains following comments by the president of the European Central Bank, which have buoyed the euro for a second day. “You’ve got a rise in the euro, which means a weaker dollar, and a ‘risk on’ environment, so everything that looks like a risky asset goes up. Gold has been trading just like a commodity (lately) and is behaving like one today,” Natixis analyst Nic Brown said.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has stated that as part of the ECB’s effort to protect the survival of the euro, it will be buying Spanish and Italian government bonds. This move also is believed to help lower borrowing costs. “Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro,” Draghi said at an investor conference in London. “And believe me, it will be enough.”

Business investment is looking to be cooler in the second half of the year, as orders for business equipment dropped in June. Lower American consumer spending and overseas demand have many companies delaying replacing equipment. “Business investment has definitely shifted lower,” said Tom Porcelli, chief United States economist at RBC Capital Markets LLC in New York. The European debt crisis and the looming “fiscal cliff” will “put downward pressure on orders, which will translate into weaker growth in the U.S.,” Porcelli said.

APMEX’s Account Managers now have extended hours Mondays through Thursdays and are here to serve you until 8 p.m. (EDT)! Or call us Fridays until 6 p.m. (EDT)! If you have any questions about investing in Precious Metals or simply would prefer to place your order by telephone, we are here to help.

Uplifting comments from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi have boosted the euro for the second straight day, and Gold is following suit. BNP Paribas analyst Anne-Laure Tremblay said that positive news from the eurozone may not be the only thing supporting the Gold price. “Yesterday’s move above $1,600 an ounce was driven by more positive sentiment towards Gold on the back of growing anticipation for QE (quantitative easing). A move above $1,630 an ounce would be the sign of a more durable upward trend,” Tremblay said.

American stock futures are also higher on Draghi’s comments. Miller Tabak strategist Peter Boockvar said, “We’re seeing another instance of central bankers trying to save the day with the threat of their printing machine. Whenever Draghi talks about ‘policy transmission’ being hampered, it’s his Morse code for restarting their bond buying program.” In his comments, Draghi said the euro is irreversible, reaffirming his stance to save the common currency from breaking up.

United States jobless claims historically tend to be volatile in the month of July, and 2012 has been no different. The report today showed a larger than expected drop in new claims, though many economists aren’t sold on the good news. Bob Baur of Principal Global Investors said, “I’m not sure we can see a clean number for another week or two yet. I look at the labor market and see it’s gradually healing, just healing very slowly. Businesses are reluctant to do anything.” The less volatile four week moving average dropped, as well, and is currently at its lowest level since March.

At 9 a.m. (EDT), the APMEX Precious Metals spot prices were:

Gold, $1,615.60, Up $5.50.

Silver, $27.69, Up $0.14.

Platinum, $1,411.10, Up $11.70.

Palladium, $573.80, Up $7.50.

APMEX’s Account Managers now have extended hours Mondays through Thursdays and are here to serve you until 8 p.m. (EDT)! Or call us Fridays until 6 p.m. (EDT)! If you have any questions about investing in Precious Metals or simply would prefer to place your order by telephone, we are here to help.